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UN chief reiterates condemnation of recent killing of 21 Egyptians in Libya

Xinhua, February 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Tuesday met with Sameh Hassan Shokry Selim, the Egyptian foreign minister, and reiterated his condemnation of the recent killing of 21 Egyptians in Libya by Da'esh, the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levan, Ban's spokesman told reporters here.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general "also discussed with the minister issues of mutual concern, including the situations in Libya and Gaza, and the fight against terrorism," the spokesman said.

On Monday, Ban condemned "in the strongest terms" the killing of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya, and deplored "the targeting of people on account of their religious affiliation."

A five-minute video released on Sunday evening showed the mass beheading of the 21 Egyptian Christians kidnapped in Libya by an Islamic State group, reports said.

The video was filmed in a style similar to that of previous videos depicting the murders of Western prisoners by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an armed group that overran large parts of Iraq and Syria last year, said the reports. Endite